Association Comments on Public Charge Proposed Rule

America's Essential Hospitals submitted comments to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on the public charge ground of inadmissibility proposed rule. The rule aims to provide immigration officers broad discretion to determine if an individual is likely to become a public charge. The term "public charge" describes a person who is likely to become primarily dependent on the government for support.

The association urged DHS to withdraw the proposed public charge rule due to the chilling effect it will have on immigrants eligible for Medicaid. Specifically, the association:

• Asked DHS to be consistent with the changes in Medicaid eligibility recently enacted by Congress and exclude Medicaid from public charge definitions
• Urged DHS to rescind the proposed rule to avoid the harmful impact on individual and public health
• Discussed the negative financial impact on essential hospitals and local economies from poor health, increased costs, and decreased Medicaid reimbursement

Contact Director of Policy Rob Nelb, MPH, at [email protected] or 202.585.0127 with questions.